- iTunes doesn't offer a subscription based service. Content is paid for per download at the following rates
- Songs - $0.99
- Ringtones - $0.99
- TV Episodes - $1.99
- iPod games -$4.99
- Renting Movies - $2.99 up to $3.99
- Albums - $9.99
- Buying Movies - Starts at $9.99
- A library of 11 million high-quality, DRM-free songs (the largest in the business!)
- Free iTunes software
- Genius playlists
- Share tunes on your home network
- Listen to streaming radio
- Create and share playlists
- Use gift certificates to buy tracks
- Buy using an allowance
- User reviewed tracks and albums
- Parental Controls
- Tunes at 256 kbps in AAC encoding
- Buy DRM free songs for only $0.99
- Buy music videos for only $0.99
- Buy full length movies (640 x 480 resolution) to watch on your portable player
- Rent movies to watch on your computer or portable player
- Download free educational content with iTunes U
- Download games and apps for your iPhone or iPod
- Purchase TV shows from all the major networks
- Burn tracks to an unlimited number of CDs
- Copy tracks to an unlimited number of Ipods
If you haven't been living under a rock for the past 5 years you will have heard of iTunes. It is currently the biggest online music store by far and claims to have sold over 5 billion songs. Some of you may wonder then why we didn't give iTunes the much sought after top place in our music service reviews. Read on and all shall be revealed.
It has to be said, iTunes is the most fully featured service we have reviewed. You want audio? Done. You want movies? Done. You want TV? Done. You want free educational content? Well you can get it anyway! iTunes really does offer everything you want.except maybe one thing which we'll come to at the end of the review. For now let's have a look at some of the amazing features on offer.
The iTunes store is accessed through the iTunes player, which is a freely downloadable piece of software from Apple's web site. It's pretty much become the standard software for anyone playing music on a Mac, but PC users are now lapping it up too; and for good reason. The iTunes player is an elegantly designed application that makes all the frustrating tasks associated with organising your music easy. Everything complicated is taken care of behind the scenes so that you only need to worry about dragging and dropping tunes to the right places. There are too many features to go into detail about here but one of our favourites is the genius playlist. This lets you select one song and iTunes creates a whole playlist based on that type of music. It's scary how on the mark it can be at times!
The iTunes store itself is subtly integrated in the iTunes player. The way you search for tracks in your own collection or in the store collection is virtually identical. Even as you browse your own collection there is an optional widget which will make recommendations from the store based on what you are listening to. This is a great way to discover new music and bands. Buying tunes couldn't be easier; you simply select the tune, click the purchase button and confirm your purchase - although you do have to have set up an iTunes store account first. However, this is easy to do and only takes a couple of minutes.
Not only do you get to download music from the store, but also audiobooks, movies, TV episodes, games, applications and free educational content. All of these things can be synced up with your iPod and other compatible players for listening or watching on the move. Movies can also be rented and the neat thing is that you can start watching them on your computer and your iPod will remember the precise point you were at to catch up on the move later on. The amount of content is staggering and everyone will find something to entertain them.
Regarding Digital Rights Management (DRM), most of the tracks you download from the store will be DRM free in AAC endcoding at 256 kbps, but some are still protected due to licensing agreements with the record company. You will always know what you are buying though because DRM free songs always have the iTunes Plus logo - which is what iTunes calls its DRM free content. New songs are being added all the time and if you have a DRM protected track which becomes available DRM free you can upgrade it for a small charge.
With your DRM free tracks you can burn them to an unlimited number of CDs and copy them to an unlimited number of iPods or other portable players. However, you are limited to playing them on 5 different computers. They come in high quality 256 kbps AAC format.
With DRM protected tracks you are limited to burning 7 copies to CD and playing on 5 different computers. They come in lower quality 128 kbps AAC format.
So what about value for money?
Well, the one thing that lets the iTunes store down is the lack of a monthly subscription option. Unlike services such as Napster, with iTunes you must pay for each piece of content you download. In some ways this is good because you own the content whereas with other services you are essentially renting it. However, even though prices are relatively cheap they can soon start to add up.
The price of individual tracks is always $0.99 regardless of whether they are DRM free or not. Albums are generally around $9.99. There is also a handy "complete my album" feature which lets you buy the rest of an album at a reduced price if you already own some of the tracks on it.
Movies prices start at $9.99 to buy and vary depending on the title. They come at 640 x 480 resolution which is fine for watching on your portable player, but if you are used to HD you might be disappointed watching them on your computer. Movies can also be rented at $3.99 for new releases or $2.99 for other titles.
TV episodes from most of the major networks can be downloaded for $1.99 and sometimes deals on buying a whole season are available.
The prices of other content varies depending on the title you are buying, but we found most to be quite reasonable.
So, for those reasons, we think iTunes doesn't quite deserve the top spot on our list. Don't get us wrong though; the iTunes store is a great service, the player is second to none and you're unlikely to find as much downloadable content anywhere else. All we would say is to think about what your needs are before you sign up, if iTunes fits them you won't find a better service.
Click on the button below to check out iTunes.com for yourself...
